To speak of our experiences of the Divine, as we are doing in the current Daily Meditations, is to speak of the Cosmic Christ. The Cosmic Christ is the light in all things and also the wounds in all things (the crucified Christ). The Cosmic Christ is the primary archetype of the mystical experience in Christianity (in Buddhism one speaks of the Buddha Nature and in Judaism of the Image of God.). It is about the holiness in every day things that are all “other Christs.”
But so too is the universe itself—yes, all two trillion galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars in them. Christ is the “light in all things” (see John 1) and science today is telling us that there are light waves or photons in every atom in the universe. And that’s a lot of atoms! I see the historical Jesus as the particle that light is—and we too are particles of light. And I see the Cosmic Christ as the wave that light is. Science, after much debating, has concluded that light is not particle or wave but particle and wave.
Albert Einstein proposed that we are entering a “third era of religion” called a “cosmic religion” that will be characterized both by conscience taking precedence over jingoism and religious ideologies and by a deep awareness of the marvels of the cosmos.
The ecstasy that we call “Experiencing God” is the launching pad for the rest of our spiritual journeys. The mystics call it the Via Positiva, the experience of Awe, wonder and delight. Children are often most attuned to this sense of “radical amazement” as Rabbi Heschel calls it. “Awe is the beginning of wisdom” as he declares.
From the Via Positiva comes the Via Negativa, a deep experience of silence and letting go of things, of emptying therefore. And also our experiences of sorrow, loss and grief.
Next on the journey comes the Via Creativa, our co-creating with the Holy Spirit. And the journey culminates (but does not end and rather spirals back to the Via Positiva) in compassion and healing, celebrating and justice making. Throughout it we experience the Divine in deep but diverse ways. The light of God, the Cosmic Christ, is present within and around us as is the Kingdom/Queendom of God which we are steeped in but also helping to create. It will be characterized by Joy (Via Positiva) and Justice (Via Transformativa).
See Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ;
Matthew Fox and Lama Tsomo, The Lotus & The Rose: A Conversation Between Tibetan Buddhism & Mystical Christianity;
Matthew Fox, Mark Andrus and Ullrrich Javier Lemus, Stations of the Cosmic Christ.
Banner Image: “Great Stars from Hubble.” Photo by NASA.
For Deeper Contemplation
Have you experienced the “Cosmic Christ” or “Buddha Nature” or “Image of God” in things? and in the universe as a whole?
Sit with that experience; replay it in your mind. Immerse yourself in its details. What has it taught you? How has it changed your perspective?
Recommended Reading
This is a book of meditations on the Cosmic Christ, accompanying the images of 16 wonderful clay tablets by Javier Ullrrich Lemus and M.C. Richards. Together, these images and meditations go far beyond the traditional Stations of the Cross to inspire a spirit awakening and understanding of the cosmic Christ Consciousness, Buddha consciousness, and consciousness of the image of God in all beings, so needed in our times.
How can we move away from “us vs. them” thinking as our surroundings feel more divided and polarized than ever? Co-authors Matthew Fox and Lama Tsomo discuss how Tibetan Buddhism and Mystical Christianity answer this question from unique points of view, with many commonalities and practical tools to break down the barriers between us.
2 thoughts on “The Cosmic Christ and Our Experiences of the Divine”
Thank you for this beautiful and transformative meditation. May we be like the children embracing a deep sense of awe. All good and righteous action and being will flow from this “radical amazement- the beginning of wisdom”
Dear Brent,
Thank you for your comment. How amazing that it is so vast and simple, inconceivable and completely natural all at the same time. It is our true nature, and yet it still amazes us. More opportunities for righteous actionn, I am thinking.
Gail Sofia Ransom
For the DM Team